Begin by collecting mismatched vintage porcelain plates featuring floral transferware and gilded edges. Wrap the plates in a heavy canvas drop cloth and tap them firmly with a rubber mallet to break them into manageable one-to-two-inch shards; refine the shard shapes using tile nippers while wearing safety goggles. Mount an oval mirror to an oval plywood backer. Butter the backs of the porcelain shards with thick white thin-set mortar, placing embossed plate rim fragments around the outer frame perimeter to create a scalloped border. Fill the inner sections with flat floral fragments, angling colorful blooms toward the mirror. Allow the mortar to set for twenty-four hours, then apply an ivory-tinted sanded grout, carefully wiping the grout flush with the varied tile contours to reveal the raised floral details.
